Is diabetic neuropathy associated with increased risk of developing mental disorders?

TY - JOUR

T1 - Is diabetic neuropathy associated with increased risk of developing mental disorders?

AU - Rohde, Christopher

AU - Finnerup, Nanna Brix

AU - Schmitz, Norbert

AU - Jensen, Troels Staehelin

AU - Thomsen, Reimar Wernich

AU - Østergaard, Søren Dinesen

PY - 2022/5

Y1 - 2022/5

N2 - Objective: It is largely unknown whether individuals with diabetic neuropathy face an increased risk of developing mental illness. Therefore, in a population-based cohort study, we aimed to examine whether individuals with diabetic neuropathy are at elevated risk of being diagnosed with a mental disorder compared to diabetes-duration-matched individuals without diabetic neuropathy.Methods: We used the nationwide Danish registers to identify all individuals diagnosed with diabetic neuropathy between January 1, 1996, and January 1, 2019. For each of these individuals, we identified up to five individuals with diabetes, matched on the duration of illness, who were not diagnosed with diabetic neuropathy. We then compared incidence rates of mental disorders between individuals with diabetic neuropathy and the diabetes-duration-matched individuals using a Cox proportional-hazards model.Restults: Individuals with diabetic neuropathy had a substantial and statistically significant increased risk of being diagnosed with any mental disorder (age- and sex-adjusted hazard rate ratio: 1.40, 95% CI: 1.31-1.48) as well as all specific mental disorders (psychotic disorder, bipolar disorder, unipolar depression, and/or anxiety disorder) compared with diabetes-duration-matched individuals without diabetic neuropathy.Conclusions: Diabetic neuropathy appears to be associated with a substantially increased risk of developing a mental disorder. Knowledge of the potential mechanisms underlying this association could inform prevention and treatment and should therefore be pursued further.

AB - Objective: It is largely unknown whether individuals with diabetic neuropathy face an increased risk of developing mental illness. Therefore, in a population-based cohort study, we aimed to examine whether individuals with diabetic neuropathy are at elevated risk of being diagnosed with a mental disorder compared to diabetes-duration-matched individuals without diabetic neuropathy.Methods: We used the nationwide Danish registers to identify all individuals diagnosed with diabetic neuropathy between January 1, 1996, and January 1, 2019. For each of these individuals, we identified up to five individuals with diabetes, matched on the duration of illness, who were not diagnosed with diabetic neuropathy. We then compared incidence rates of mental disorders between individuals with diabetic neuropathy and the diabetes-duration-matched individuals using a Cox proportional-hazards model.Restults: Individuals with diabetic neuropathy had a substantial and statistically significant increased risk of being diagnosed with any mental disorder (age- and sex-adjusted hazard rate ratio: 1.40, 95% CI: 1.31-1.48) as well as all specific mental disorders (psychotic disorder, bipolar disorder, unipolar depression, and/or anxiety disorder) compared with diabetes-duration-matched individuals without diabetic neuropathy.Conclusions: Diabetic neuropathy appears to be associated with a substantially increased risk of developing a mental disorder. Knowledge of the potential mechanisms underlying this association could inform prevention and treatment and should therefore be pursued further.

KW - Anxiety Disorders/epidemiology

KW - Bipolar Disorder

KW - Cohort Studies

KW - Diabetes Mellitus

KW - Diabetic Neuropathies/epidemiology

KW - Humans

KW - Mental Disorders/epidemiology

KW - Risk Factors

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/85128001748

U2 - 10.1530/EJE-21-1168

DO - 10.1530/EJE-21-1168

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 35266880

SN - 0804-4643

VL - 186

SP - K39–K43

JO - European Journal of Endocrinology

JF - European Journal of Endocrinology

IS - 5

ER -